A SHORT HISTORY

OF THE

FREE-SCHOOL,

Borough Road, George's Fields,

AND SOME ACCOUNT OF ITS FUNDS.

IN the year 1798, I opened a school for the instruction of poor children, in reading, writing, arithmetic, and the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures; the children were taught at the low price of fourpence per week. I knew of no modes of tuition but those usually in practice, and I had a practical knowledge of them. The number of children who attended the school at that time, varied from ninety to a hundred and twenty. Being thus engaged in the study of education, with full liberty to make what experiments I pleased, whenever I found a poor child whose parents were unable to pay for his instruction, I gave him education gratis. This class of children increased so much, that above thirty names were on the book as free scholars, in a short time; and it is very probable no two children knew that there were other free scholars in the school besides themselves. I attended the school personally, retaining an assistant. It was not unattended with expence of wages, rent, taxes, rewards, &c. As the

B

(2)

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income arising from the pay-scholars was much di minished by the education I gave to so many, gratis, and as there were still many more objects of benevolence in the school and neighbourhood, I was anxious to find an expedient which would enable me to extend the usefulness of the institution, without additional expence to myself; and soon found two liberalminded persons, who readily seconded my views,* Thomas Sturge, of Newington Butts; and Anthony Sterry, of the High-street, Borough. They had been in the practice of paying the usual price to other schoolmasters, for the education of some children, whom they met with in their endeavours to relieve distress. I prevailed on them to enter into a subscription for the education of poor children, in lieu of pay. Nothing but example was wanting; and, as soon as that was obtained, I easily raised the sum specified in the first year's account annexed. The subscription was quite of the nature of a contract: of every guinea subscribed, fifteen shillings per annum was considered as the price of each child's education; and the remaining six shillings was to be expended in books, rewards, and school expences.

The only person who assisted me in raising subscriptions, was Elizabeth Fry, wife of Joseph Fry, of the Poultry, London. She solicited her immediate friends and connexions, and was successful in obtaining about twenty-six guineas; with this kind assistance I was encouraged to go cheerfully through the toilsome drudgery of raising subscriptions for the second year, in which I was so successful as to double the amount as well as the number of free scholars. Improvements in the modes of tuition had been made to good purpose, in those two first years, and a regular system of order established.

* At Midsummer, 1801.

Though a system of order was easily established, a new system of tuition was another thing; and to this I found myself most unexpectedly and gradually advancing.

The institution is greatly indebted to two gentlemen of the parish in which I live; but, as I fear, I am not at liberty to mention their names, I can only say, they have, by their generosity, exempted the school-house from all rent, for several years. Gratitude requires that this should be known, as, in consequence, I have been enabled to expend the money I should have employed in rent, &c. in making experiments relative to the education of the poor. It is to be understood, this relates only to part of the premises connected with the institution. The other part is on lease for fifty-nine years; and I have constantly paid the ground-rent, thirty guineas per annum, without making any charge to the public for it. Most experiments, whether on the improvement of education, or on any other subject, are attended with expence, which increases with the number of trials. Many such experiments have been made, which proved quite useless, and such as I should never attempt again. In other cases I have often gone the wrong way to work, and accidentally stumbled on the very object I was in quest of. The result has been a new and efficient system of education; the principle of which is not only adapted to large manufacturing districts, but, with little variation in the mode of applying it, to all the poor of the country, and to village schools.

Hitherto, none of the active friends of the institution regarded it in any other light than a wellconducted school, with some few improvements in the modes of instruction. In fact, those who befriended it most, either never came to visit it, or never entered into its detail when they did. The Duke of Bedford and Lord Somerville were the first

who visited it, and entered closely into its detail. Lord Somerville told me, he saw its importance from the first. I have a letter from the Duke on the subject, wherein he expresses himself thus: after describing his first visit, he says, "The advan tages of the institution struck me so forcibly, they were so obvious and apparent, that I could not hesitate to give every encouragement in my power to so laudable and beneficial a plan of education; which cannot but tend to better the condition, and improve the morals, of the lower classes, in a very eminent degree. Fully and earnestly convinced of this important truth, I cheerfully authorise you to call on me for further assistance, whenever you think fit." The Duke, and his friend Lord Somerville, have since shown every kindness to the institution that could be wished. May their names ever be dear to every Englishman, who is a real lover of his country. It is no wonder that I feel myself bound to express my honest gratitude in this public manner. But for their repeated, timely, and liberal assistance, the design would not so rapidly have extended in its warious branches. When they first visited the school, they began the subscription for buildings needful to enlarge the school-room; more scholars were daily applying for admittance, and the premises were so contracted, that many more could not have been admitted. It would have been a painful circumstance to me, to have refused admission to such; and I could not have received them without an extension of the premises. I had mentioned my wishes to several friends on this subject. They were persons not wanting in benevolence, but as they never came near the institution, which they had all previously befriended, they did not enter into my views readily. Nor were they aware, that if the work was not begun in the proper time, it must be suspended twelve months longer. One friend did

not like to take the responsibility, of standing first in a subscription, upon himself. Another, very properly, did not like to stand before his father, who was out of town; and a third was indisposed. Thus deprived of the energy of my most active friends, the design remained dormant for want of a leader; but that office was amply supplied by the generosity of those two noblemen, after whose example the subscription, dated Third Month, 1803, was raised. I had no person to aid me in soliciting subscriptions; and calculated, that I might travel about three hundred miles, backwards and forwards, at many different times, to obtain them. If I could, with propriety, have done entirely without public aid, as, in the outset, I intended doing, it would have been more agreeable to my wishes. It was my intention to erect the first building at my own expence, but I found, the sum which I could properly dedicate to that object, was inadequate.

The reader will be sensible, on perusing this, of the reason for inscribing this book to the Duke of Bedford and Lord Somerville; and, though dedications are often founded in flattery, this has for its basis, gratitude and truth. But it was not alone in the subscription just alluded to, that they have shown their cheerful benevolence; for in the spring, 1804, I proposed to them extending the school from three hundred and fifty to seven hundred boys. For this purpose, it was calculated the sum of at least one hundred and eighty pounds was needful; and that, if it should appear proper, when the experiment had been tried, the subscription should remain open, to enable me to extend it to a thousand. The extension to seven hundred boys was made at a very trifling expence above the estimate.

It seems likely, the sum wanted to erect the buildings, needful to make the proposed extension to one thousand boys, will be about three hundred pounds.